Six years ago, I promised myself to celebrate my birthday every single year by rewarding myself an out of the country/town trip. But it has to be not just a trip, but a meaningful one. And a meaningful travel for me is traveling with my loved ones or special someone, exploring new places, trying out delicious food/cuisine, learning new culture, and meeting new people (a blue-eyed, blonde guy…perhaps!), and I think the best time to do that is now while I’m young and able.

I love to see the world and all its possibilities. And traveling for me is about letting go of my fears and inhibitions and seeing the places and people I only get to see in photos or online.

A lot of people have been asking me why I’m still single at 36 years old. Why not? Being single gave me the opportunity to travel and spend more time with my parents who are not getting any younger. I’ve given those inquisitive people all possible answers from “I’m too busy,” “Haven’t found the right guy yet,” to “I’m leaving the country for good” yet they still ask me every single time. And these days, I just try to smile, change the topic, or evade the question as if being single is a crime.

There’s so much to love about being single and traveling, and here’s why I’m loving it:

I own my time. I do hate asking permission when going to places.  I love working on my own time. I don’t even like people waiting up on me. Maybe I got used to it. So being single allowed me to do whatever I want, whenever I want it. Sometimes being in a relationship restricts me from doing something I love, most especially when I don’t share the same interests with the guy. So being single allowed me to do just everything I want – sleep, run, and travel more, do more or less.

I can travel anywhere, everywhere. When I made that promise to myself six years ago, I was able to visit a few Asian countries (with my mom): Malaysia and Thailand; (with family): Hong Kong and Singapore; and (alone) Australia and they were all very memorable and fun.

While I look forward to the day I travel with that someone special, for now I can’t prevent myself from traveling just because I’m single. Life does not wait on anyone so I might as well enjoy it while I can with people I value and cherish the most – my family.

I have peace of mind and less drama. Being in a relationship is not all bed of roses. While it’s normal to have misunderstandings and couple fights once in a while, being single somehow shielded me from that and more as I only have myself to worry about.

I live in a very busy place, I work every day, and the last thing I needed is someone I have to worry about, who won’t text or call, or who won’t even tell me his whereabouts, whose always checking up on me, or someone I always have to check up on. We all need a lot of positivity, happiness, and peace of mind in this world full of chaos. (Haha, no, I don’t mean to sound bitter!)

Of course, I get to meet “guys”. Traveling allows me to meet different kinds of people and of course, single guys too. So being single allows me to mingle and meet interesting guy/s who share my passions and interest, who live in a place very different from mine. I do get attracted to men who are very smart, funny, adventurous, good-looking, mysterious, loves traveling, open-minded, but who would love to be in a committed relationship (I hope that’s too soon).

Unfortunately, I’ve never met him yet in all the places/countries I’ve been to. So maybe, maybe I think I need to travel again. Like they say, the right person is just out there waiting for you. Who knows he’ll be sitting right next to me on my next trip, in a bus, train, plane? You’ll never know!

I learn and keep on learning. Of course, you’ll discover a lot of things when you travel. You are exposed to the other side of the world that you see only in photos. You won’t believe how they do things differently there. For example, how clean and disciplined people are in Singapore, or how you should act when you’re in Muslim country. Such an eye-opener! And traveling just allows me to learn that and more.

Of course, I look forward to the day when I get to travel with a special someone. It’s been x years since I’ve been in a relationship. But as they say, the right one comes at the perfect time and place and at the most unexpected time – no one can force it.

Also for now, my family and I have decided to postpone our international trips to be able to support my niece’s continuous medication and rehabilitation as she will be needing financial support the most and thank God she’s making a really, really good progress.

As one quote said, “As with any journey, who you travel with can be more important than your destination” and in time, I do hope to travel again with my family, with Rianna, and with that special someone… In God’s perfect time.